The present invention relates to a reference platform for the lockable positioning and orientation of operation and/or measurement units inside the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.
For monitoring the function of a motor vehicle, especially for the control of emission values, motor vehicles are routinely investigated on chassis dynamometer test stands. Aside from monitoring emission values which are measured at various speeds which must be driven on the chassis dynamometer test stand, it is part of such function of monitoring of motor vehicles to check the acceleration and the ability to shift gears. In order to obtain reproducible comparison values between various vehicles of a given production series and also in order to obtain comparison among individual series, automatic drivers are being increasingly used instead of test persons to take on the function of clutching, engaging gears, accelerating, braking and driving at predetermined speeds.
Such automatic drivers must be placed in the passenger compartment and, in order to properly function, they must be, as much as possible, placed in the same position within each passenger compartment. In the past, this has been accomplished by removing the driver's seat from the passenger compartment and substituting in its place the automatic driver unit connected to the mounting pad of the driver's seat. Such an installation in the passenger compartment guarantees a safe and stable positioning of the automatic driver. However, it is very time consuming because in addition the driver's seat must be removed in one operation and must be reinstalled in another operation. Although stable mounting is achieved, such positioning represents an additional time expenditure that must be accepted as "given" within the framework of the increased through put of motor vehicles to be tested.
Another method of positioning of automatic drivers in the passenger compartment consists of placing the unit upon the driver's seat with support on the back of the seat and with lateral orientation by means of sheet metal guides along the outer edges of the seat upholstery. While the time expenditure for removal and reinstallation of the driver's seat is avoided, the danger of soiling the driver's seat with the automatic driver cannot be excluded. A significant disadvantage, however, is encountered by the fact that stable positioning of the automatic driver unit upon the upholstery of the driver seat is not possible.